Heat exchanger having oscillating fluid for receiving and discharging heat



United States Patent 3,265,123 HEAT EXCHANGER HAVING GSCILLATING FLUID FOR RECEIVING AND DISCHARG- ING HEAT William E. Gifford, S29 Gstrom Ave, Syracuse, N.Y. Filed Apr. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 360,5? 3 Claims. (Cl. l65104) This invention relates to an improved heating and cooling technique and, more particularly, the invention is concerned with a method and apparatus for producing a temperature change in a material by means of an oscillating flow of fluid. The temperature of the oscillating flow is controlled in a predetermined manner and utilized as a tempered cooling or heating medium to cause a heat exchange to take place in a body supported within a restricted region defined by the extent of the oscillating flow.

In one preferred form of the invention the oscillating flow of fluid may consist of a fiow of gas constantly moved into and out of a permeable tempering body held at a predetermined temperature. The moving gas creates a flux region immediately adjacent to the surface of the permeable body. This unique method of oscillating a flow of tempered fluid may be conveniently referred to as cryofluxing and as hereinafter employed in the specification cryofluxing is intended to define broadly a method of continuously moving a fluid in and out of a tempering body Which is held at a predetermined temperature or temperatures whereby there is produced a flux region in which various substances and materials may be caused to undergo a rapid change in temperature.

It is a chief object of the invention to devise an improved method and apparatus for inducing changes in temperature in a desired body or bodies.

Another objective is to provide a novel method and apparatus for utilizing a flow of fluid which may carry out relatively rapid cooling and heating.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means for carrying out a rapid change in temperature in a localized flux region whereby a concentration of cooling or heating may be realized.

The nature of the invention and its other objects and novel features Will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method and apparatus of the invention in one simple form; and

FIGURE 2 is another diagrammatic form showing a modified type of apparatus.

In the structure shown in the drawings, numeral 2 denotes a housing preferably comprising an insulating material such as styrofoam, plastic, or the like. Numeral 4 refers to a permeable tempering device which is constantly maintained at a predetermined temperature by means of a cooling or heating agency such as, for example, a continuous fiow of Freon in the case of cooling or, for example, a flow of steam in the case of heating.

The tempering device, as Well as the housing 2, may

for example, be of generally cylindrical form with the tempering device 4 being snugly fitted within a chamber 5 at the lower end thereof as shown in FIGURE 1. Numerals 6 and 8 respectively are inlet and outlet means for circulating a fluid such as the Freon or steam indicated above.

Mounted at the underside of the permeable tempering device 4 is a thermal regenerator 10 of some suitable type. This regenerator member is similarly contained within the chamber 5 being snugly fitted against the adjacent surfaces of the housing 2. At the opposite or upper side of the permeable tempering device 4 is an eflicient heat Patented August 9, 1966 exchange element 12 which occupies a space within the member 2 and which is kept cool or hot by the tempering device 4. The heat exchange element 12 and regenerator 10 operate in a well-known manner with the result that if the tempering device 4 is chilled the flux region will provide for refrigeration and if the device 4 is heated, the flux region will provide heating.

I further provide a flexible diaphragm 14 located, for example, in the cylindrical part 16 diagrammatically shown and supported at the lower end of member 2. The diaphragm is constantly oscillated up and down by means of a rotating eccentric device 18 driven from some suitable source of power not shown in the drawings. The diaphragm, when thus oscillated, operates to cause a volume of fluid to be moved in and out through the re generator 10, tempering device 4 and heat exchanger disc 12. This results in a tempered gas flow moving in and out in the region just above the heat exchanger 12 to form a rapidly oscillating flux region of controlled temperature. This tempered fluid concentrated in a relatively limited flux region can, it is found, very rapidly heat or cool small objects which are contained within the flux region and which are indicated, for example, by spherical bodies as 20, 22, 24 and 26 resting on the upper side of the heat exchanger 12.

With any given temperature the speed of oscillation and/or amplitude of the oscillation, as well as the rate of cooling or heating, may be varied over a Very wide range. In some cases it may be desired to practice the invention without the use of the regenerator or the heat exchange element or both of these members. It will be understood, however, that the thermal regenerator 10 makes it possible to circulate a relatively large gas volume in and out of the tempering device 4 without appreciable loss of heat or refrigeration since it regeneratively stores and releases heating or refrigeration as determined by the temperature of the tempering member 4.

Since the cooling and/or heating gas is confined to a small flux region, substantially all of the heating or cooling capacity or capability of the gas is utilized and very little heating or cooling is lost into the ambient temperature as occurs with conventional gas-cooling systems.

It will be apparent that depending upon Whether there is supplied a flow of coolant or heating medium to member 4 it will determine whether the method carries out a cooling or heating exchange. It is also pointed out that an advantage of this thermal fiuxing technique is that the permeable material resists clogging with dust or dirt since there is employed the same volume of gas over and over again to maintain the cooling flux or heating flux over the objects to be processed.

In FIGURE 2 is shown another form of cryofluxing of the invention which may be used, for example, to cool porous plates as 30, 32, 33 and 34 supported in an enclosure body 35 in some suitable manner. The plates 30, 32, 33 and 34 are cooled by chilled tempering plates 36, 38, 4t) and 42 through which is oscillated a gas to produce a flux region. The gas is oscillated or caused to move back and forth by the movement of the diaphragm 46 and eccentric drive 44.

The porous plates to be cooled, in one desirable form of the invention may, for example, contain thereon printed electrical circuits which tend in use to become excessively hot particularly when employed for instance in computer devices and other electronically actuated equipment. In the flux region in which cooling is concentrated by the small amplitude of oscillation the temperature of the porous plates 30, 32, 33 and 34 may be kept very close to the temperature of the tempering plates 36, 38, etc. and thus the electrically induced heat load may be dissipated satisfactorily. It will be understood that in some cases it may be desirable to employ other forms of device for moving a fluid in and out of the tempering member and likewise other forms of tempering bodies may be utilized.

Also various other specific applications of the invention are contemplated as, for example, in connection with freezing or cooling foods, cooking foods, construction of laboratory equipment and many other devices in which a controlled heat exchange may be desired to be carried out in keeping with the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for producing refrigeration comprising a support member, a tempering device having means therein through which a cooling fluid may be conducted, and means therein through which a second fluid may be conducted, said tempering device being received on the support member, means for controlling the temperature of the tempering body, thermal regenerator means located at one side of the tempering body and fluid compressor means for providing an oscillating flow of said second fluid through the regenerator and tempering body to create a flux region externally of the tempering body, and said thermal regenerator means occurring between the said tempering device and the fluid compressor means.

2. An apparatus for transfer of heat to produce cooling said apparatus comprising an enclosure member in which a volume of fluid is confined, a permeable fluid tempering body mounted in the enclosure and through which an oscillating flow of the said fluid may be induced, conduit means located through the permeable fluid tempering body and independently maintaining a flow of coolant to hold the said tempering body at a desired temperature level and fluid displacement means located in the enclosure body in a position to induce a predetermined oscillating flow of said confined fluid through the 4 permeable fluid tempering body thereby to provide a region of cooling externally of the permeable fluid tempering body in which objects arranged in close proximity to the fluid tempering body may be caused to undergo cooling.

3. Apparatus for transfer of heat comprising an enclosure member in which a volume of cooling fluid is confined, a permeable fluid tempering body mounted in the enclosure member through which an oscillating flow of the said cooling fluid may be induced and means therein through which a second fluid may be conducted, means for independently maintaining the fluid tempering body at a desired temperature level, fluid displacement means located in the enclosure body in a position to induce a predetermined oscillating flow of said second fluid through and beyond the said permeable fluid tempering body thereby to provide a region of oscillating flow of said second fluid externally of the permeable fluid tempering body in which bodies may be caused to undergo a change in temperature and said fluid tempering body including a thermal regenerator member located between the tempering body and the fluid displacement means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,448,315 8/1948 Kunzog 165-l80 X 2,590,519 3/1952 Du Pre 626 X 2,648,784 8/1953 Chilowsky l65l04 X 3,040,538 6/1962 Alsing 62428 X ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

N. R. WILSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING REFRIGERATION COMPRISING A SUPPORT MEMBER, A TEMPERING DEVICE HAVING MEANS THEREIN THROUGH WHICH A COOLING FLUID MAY BE CONDUCTED, AND MEANS THEREIN THROUGH WHICH A SECOND FLUID MAY BE CONDUCTED, SAID TEMPERING DEVICE BEING RECEIVED ON THE SUPPORT MEMBER, MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE TEMPERING BODY, THERMAL REGENERATOR MEANS LOCATED AT ONE SIDE OF THE TEMPERING BODY AND FLUID COMPRESSOR MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN OSCILLATING FLOW OF SAID SECOND FLUID THROUGH THE REGENERATOR AND TEMPERING BODY TO CREATE A FLUX REGION EXTERNALLY OF THE TEMPERING BODY, AND SAID THERMAL REGENERATOR MEANS OCCURRING BETWEEN THE SAID TEMPERING DEVICE AND THE FLUID COMPRESSOR MEANS. 